March is Marching On

And so is my March Sweater, given all the road blocks right out the starting gate. 

 

I've been visiting some blogs recently and it looks like a fair amount of spinning is going on.  So much beautiful fibre out there!  My poor Mazurka needs a good dusting for sure.  She saw a bit of action a couple weeks ago when I practiced for the Back to Back Challenge.  I should empty that bobbin.  Every so often I will get a whiff of eau de sheep in the house and think "what the heck?" and then remember the raw fleece with which we were practicing.   Anyway, I do have plenty of very pretty and clean fibre to spin before I should even consider purchasing more.   Even if there is so much beautifully dyed fibre out there waiting for me to succumb to its charms.  Sigh. 

In Like A Lion

 

 

 

This is what our backyard looked like around 7:30am. Everything covered in wet, heavy snow.  Beautiful. 

Today is the kick-off for March Sweater Madness.  Have you signed up yet??

Not Long Now!

This year brings us to the 7th year of March Sweater Madness.  WOW! 

Go check it out, sign up through the comments, tell all your friends!  The more the merrier!

Orchid Show 2013

So many varieties, so beautiful...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wish you could have been there.

 

Friday Felines

I've been off my groove with taking pictures lately, but here is one of Zeus helping me during my sewing endeavours this past week.  I have a busy weekend planned so maybe there will be some photographic evidence.  Orchid Show, Running Club followed by breakfast at the Lions Club, practicing for the Back to Back Challenge...  I may even get around to photographing some of my crafting.  Sigh.  I'm so not inspired to so anything, really.  I'm cold.

All Gone

Finally.  Every last scrap and leftover part ball of sock yarn has been used up.  I feel like Wonder Woman, truly, I do.  How, you may ask?  Take one 3mm crochet hook.  Start a granny square.  Keep going until you run out of yarn.  It works.  Actually, I made 2 medium squares, joined them, then went back to crocheting round after round after round.  The idea is to make this blanket fit a twin bed, eventually.  Since I've finally used up the leftovers, I may have to dig out the box of sock yarn and see if there are any single balls in there that won't go far enough for a complete pair of socks.  This is one of those projects I don't want to be looking at 2 years from now, and shaking my head, wondering what I was thinking.  I have a hideous amount of ends to weave in still, but for now, I am SO NOT inspired to tackle them. It's too dark now to take photos of the blanket but I will show proof soon.

Update:  Yarn Diet still intact, Fabric Diet not so much.  Actually, when I was in the store, I completely talked myself out of the fabric diet.  I am very persuasive apparently.  But it was just a tiny little fall down, merely 2m.  That's forgivable, right?

It's not Friday, But...

Here are some felines for you.  Feeding time at the zoo.  It was a tuna treat that had them behaving so well.

Grrrrrr

Damned blogger!  Why do they insist on messing with something that isn't broken?  I like adding pictures.  A lot of them.  Do you think I can figure out how to do that now that "They" have changed things again?  I liked that I could upload directly from my computer in a single step.  What the heck is this Picasa Web Albums thingie? I assume I have to load things there first, wherever there is.  Grrrrr.  Annoyed.  That's me.  Trying to think happy thoughts but coming up a little short. 

You know what I've been working on?  A super fun and fast sweater.  I was going to show you.  Honest.  I'm using Big One by Fleece Artist, with 6.5mm circular.  I started late yesterday afternoon and I have most of the body done already!  How awesome is that?  I have been on a roll.  I got  enough wool for two pairs of socks from Hubby and the kids for Christmas and I finished the first pair yesterday morning.  Fraternal socks.  Although I did check that they were the same dye lot and colour, they couldn't be more different.  They are comfy though; I'm test-driving them today.  Again, show?  Not so much.  It was the Patons FX in cameo colours, if I'm not mistaken.  The cats used the ball bands for toys.  Need I say more? 

If any of you lovelies out there can help me out with the whole pic thing, leave a comment!  PLEASE!

Happy New Year!

And health and happiness and peace to you all! 

And let's not forget the start of a brand spanking new yarn diet!  And a fabric diet.  For a minimum of 6 months, because trying to diet for 365 days is just crazy talk.  Small steps, manageable steps.  At least here is hoping. 

Anyone else dieting this year??

Pain, Pain, Go Away

It would figure that when I have the most to accomplish my body conspires against me.  Big holiday coming up and I figured I had lots of time to knit and sew and play with my spinning wheel, read....You get the picture.  I even figured now (this started about 2 weeks ago) was a perfect time to tackle painting the living room since it would force me to finish in a timely manner, and I even gave hubby permission to give me a hard time if I started slacking off.  I may have a wee-bit of a problem with sticking with any one thing at a time.  I don't see anything wrong with it. From my point of view, it keeps things interesting and fresh.  Other members of this household have been known to throw around "A.D.D." like it's a bad thing.  Seriously.  Give a girl a break. 

Anyway, everything was going according to plan, even with weekly visits to physio to deal with my plantar fasciitis, until it wasn't.  My shoulder and neck started screaming at me.  I started to lose sleep because I couldn't get comfortable.  My physiotherapist tortured worked on me with kindness.  Because "as long as it hurt while you're doing the exercises, it's all good".  Yeah, OK.  It was helping, whatever she would dream up for my new regime.  Then my back gave out.  Will I ever get a break?  Lots of good meds, more visits to the torture chamber, barely making a crack in the pain.  I'm working through it.  The back pain is still fresh, and probably a direct result of me doing too much when I was having a good, semi-pain free day.  Standing hurts less than sitting.  Because of that, I actually braved the stores and did my one day of Christmas shopping. Took a friend for support in case it turned bad. 

I am very pleased that I did get the living room painted before my back revolted.  The little front hall beside the living room looks dingy in comparison but I honestly don't know if I'll be in any shape to get it finished before Christmas.  We have tentatively scheduled a tree-hunting party for one day this weekend.  Time is running away from me.  Surely I'm not the only one that feels this way.  After all, there is still knitting and sewing that needs to be done.